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UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 



MISCELLANEOUS POEMS. 



BY 



JOHN ESTAUGH REDMAN. 




nrA'^ 



PHILADELPHIA: 

JOHN C. WINSTON & CO. 

1895. 



~^. 






Copyright, 1895. 
By John Estaugh Redman. 



TO THE READER. 



"pERHAPS I need offer no apology for introducing 
these sayings of mine. If they have merit, it will 
probably be discovered ; if not, that also will appear. 
Permit me* to add, in the language of Cicero: '^ Non 
numero hcec judicantur, sed pondere. ' ' 

J. E. R. 
Haddonfield, 2D Mo., 1895. 



CONTENTS. 

♦♦♦♦ 

PAGE 

A Prayer 7 

Moses on Mt. Nebo 9 

The Proclamation 13 

Lines on the Discovery of America 15 

The Christian's Warfare . 17 

On the Death of Elizabeth Fry 20 

To the Memory of a Friend 22 

The Herald • .... 23 

In Memoriam 25 

The Old Mill 27 

In Memoriam 31 

Gathered 36 

A Walk in the Autumn 38 

No Monument is Reared 40 

The Widow's Mite 42 

The Triumph of Faith 44 

5 



6 CONTENTS. 



PAGE 



To THE Memory of E. S. ■ 46 

Onward 48 

Bereaved 55 

Woman 55 

Woman 58 

Centennial 59 

The Death Angel 61 

Abraham Lincoln 6$ 

Be Ready 64 

Lines 67 

Paul at Athens 72 

Winter Sketches 75 

Niagara 79 

The Young Christian . « 83 

The Bard's Burial , 8^ 

Lines on the Death of Mary Scull 87 

Remarks on the Landing of Penn 89 



A PRAYER. 



' ' God came from Teman, and the Holy One from mount Paran. 

— Habakkuk. 



r^ THOU, from Teman ! from the hoary 

mount 
Of ancient Paran ! walking in brightness ! 
And at whose approach the darkness fleeth ! 
It was thy pleasure to create a world, 
And people it with beings, such as would 
Thy majesty extol, and, in their minds, 
Obey thy righteous law. In reverence. 
And godly fear, we would before thee bow: 
And, while our hearts feel grateful, with a sense 
Of earthly favor, we must yet confess 



8 MISCELLANEOUS POEMS. 

That all we have is thine ; and only lent 
For a short time and for a proper use. 
O great Creator! pity us and give 
Unto thy poor and contrite ones that grace 
Which will support through all life's varied 

scenes ; 
And, when our pilgrimage on earth shall close, 
Grant an admittance to thy sacred courts 
(Though all unworthy of such privilege), 
There, in thy presence, ever to abide. 



MOSES ON MT. NEBO. 

'T"*HE morn came silently; and Pisgah's top 
Shone with unusual splendor, as the sun 
Rode up in the clear sky. An aged man, 
At the command of Him whom he long serv'd, 
Slowly ascends the mountain. He was one 
Who lived in troublous times ; and the 

waves 
That 'round his cradle beat sang a storm hymn, 
And which foretold his future. In his life, 
Which had been somewhat lengthen'd, he had 

drank 
Of Marah's bitter draughts, and now, the end 
Of care and toil seem'd to be drawing nigh. 

9 



lO MISCELLANEOUS POEMS. 

His prayer preserved a people — appeased 
The wrath of the eternal King ! who declared 
He would destroy them ! Earth's honors 

shunn'd ! 
Was not ambitious for his house ; and was, 
Without doubt, the grandest of the Hebrews. 
Rear'd in the land of Egypt ! when a boy, 
With mark'd disdain, he trampled on the pride 
Of a long line of kings,* and had refused 
The son of Pharaoh's daughter to be call'd, 
Choosing to suffer with the chosen seed. 
His serving kindred, rather than enjoy 
Sin's pleasure for a season. A shepherd ! 
On the plains of Midian, he beheld 

* The Diadem of Pharaoh. See Josephiis. 



MOSES ON MT. NEBO. I I 

The unconsuming bush of flame, and saw 
Wonders in Zoan's field, and miracles. 
Now, his eye rests upon the goodly land, 
Promised to Abraham's seed, as a reward 
For a continuous faithful service ; a land 
O'erflowing with earth's most precious gifts, 
With corn and wine and oil ; a fertile glebe. 
And rich in pasture for the herds that roam'd, 
And thereon fed and fattened. Lebanon 
Looms up in the far distance ; 'twas the hill 
Which he so long'd to see : but forbidden 
To inhale its odors ; and in wisdom, 
Perhaps, prohibited : we cannot read. 
At all times, the lesson of denial ; 
And what we would desire might disturb. 
He sees the full extent of Jericho, 



12 MISCELLANEOUS POEMS. 

Famed for its wall'd defence — the seat 

of kings — 
The land of Naphtali — the land of Dan, 
And far-off Bashan, with her oaks — the land 
Of Judah, e'en to the utmost sea: 
The Lord show'd his servant, who had been 
In all his house faithful ; such are honored ! 
" Thou shalt behold, but shalt not enter there,'* 
Truly was spoken. He died in Moab, 
And was buried by the eternal King, 
O'er against Beth-peor, in the vale ; 
But no man saw his sepulchre. 



THE PROCLAMATION. 
/^UR chief has spoken by a bold proclaim ; 

And bonds divide, and fetters rend in twain : 
The Gordian knot is severed by a blow, 
And traitors tremble, as their troubles grow. 
Our fathers mourn'd their country's curse too 

long,— 
Fear'd to oppose, while they condemn'd the 

wrong: 
Which, in an evil — an ambitious hour — 
By folly urged, sought an increase of power ; 
And by presumption led, it periled all 
In treason's cause ; who will lament its fall ? 
Abe Lincoln, hail! Thy deed will bring thee 

fame! 



13 



14 MISCELLANEOUS POEMS. 

E'en now, we hear approval by acclaim ; 
With blessings breathed in gratitude to thee, 
From a wronged race ; but now forever free ! 
While freedom, flattered, musing o'er the hour 
Feels the fresh triumph of prevailing power, 
And truth still reigns, with justice by her side ; 
And these combined, should be our country's 
pride. 



LINES ON THE DISCOVERY OF 
AMERICA. 

\^HEN the exploring Genoese 

Beheld aland he long had sought, 
Could he its future then foresee, 

And what the centuries have wrought? 

A country stretching far and wide, 
A home for millions yet to be ; 

An ocean laves its either side — 
The stormy and the calmer sea. 

A land, whose rocks are veined with gold. 
Whose streams have gems of beauty rare 

Whose soil has treasure yet untold, 
In which all industry may share. 



I 6 MISCELLANEOUS POEMS. 

The dusky dwellers of the wood, 
Have fled before a nobler race; 

Who, like an o'erwhelming flood, 
Of all the past leave not a trace. 

Columbus, thou art honored now, 
Tho' in thy life-time suffered wrong; 

Justice, a tardy traveler thou ! 

Yet truth is great, and right is strong. 

Posterity reveres thy name. 

And would repay what long was due, 
With gratitude, an ardent flame ! 

Offered from hearts devout and true. 



Note. — The discovery of America by Columbus, was an 
event in the world's history which should ever be held in re- 
membrance by an appreciative people, with every manifestation 
of regard. 



THE CHRISTIAN'S WARFARE. 

/CHRISTIAN, thy warfare is not on that field, 
Where the contending sons of valor meet; 
With firm resolve to perish ere they yield, 
The ground on which they press defiant feet. 

Thy weapons are not those that tell of strife — 
The trumpet's clangor and the cannon's sound, 

Break not upon thy quiet walk through life — 
The narrow path in which thy feet are found. 

The heathen hero,* in his prayer for light, 
Hop'd to discern the features of his foe ; 



* Ajax, in his contest with Paris, exclaimed, " Light ! Light ! 
Then may the enemy come." 

2 17 



1 8 MISCELLANEOUS POEMS. 

But he of Christian faith, by spirit sight, 
Seeks to detect the author of his woe. 

He who with cautious tread, when time was 
young, 
Sought our first parents in their bHssful 
bower; 
And by a specious subtilty of tongue, 

Wrought all of woe and ruin from that hour. 

But, thanks to Him, to whom all praise belong! 

Who gives the victory o'er sin and death : 
And, 'tho' our household enemies be strong, 

His power can shield the being he gave breath. 

Bind the arm'd man, and cast his goods aside ; 
Create in truth a revolution there, 



THE CHRISTIAN'S WARFARE. 1 9 

And, grant humility in place of pride, 

To the chang'd child of faith and fervent 
prayer. 

Strongholds of sin where Satan sat supreme, 
Fall into dust, and vanish from our view ; 

And, former things seem but a passing dream, 
When Christ, our King, createth all things 
new. 



ON THE DEATH OF ELIZABETH FRY. 

(An Extract.) 

/^ THERE was joy, methinks, in realms 

above, 
When the glad seraph brought the Spirit dove : 
And with low voice and sweetly uttered tone, 
Rehears'd her deeds, — her virtues to the 

Throne : 
How oft the poor — the hungry she had fed, — 
The needy clothed, and the afflicted led : 
How oft in prison had the sinner sought, — 
Pray'd for forgiveness ! of a Saviour taught ! 
Spake of a Lord unto the thoughtless child : 
And, like an Angel, on the infant smil'd. 



ON THE DEATH OF ELIZABETH FRY. 21 

Thoug-h well connected, and to worth allied : 
Her humble nature was unstained by pride : 
Hers was the love — the sympathy of soul ; 
Above all art — all powerful to control ! 
Which sooth'd the convict in a dying hour, 
And caus'd the lip to tell a Saviour's pow'r. 



TO THE MEMORY OF A FRIEND. 
r^ALL'D from the field; while yet the battle 

raged, 
He laid his armor off: and, while his strength 
Was scarcely tried, the bugle blew retreat. 
No more thy voice for truth in earnest tones 
Shall eloquently plead ; and, never more 
Thy faithful Christian walk ; following Him 
Who died on Calvary, shall louder speak. 
To us a stranger ! yet, thy courage cheer'd 
And had our sympathies, in thy attacks 
On Satan's citadel ! True to thyself — 
True to convictions ! none has ever thought 
To call thee insincere ! and, o'er thy grave, 
The wintry winds chanting a requiem. 
Let not a word unkind be ever breathed. 



THE HERALD. 

Immediately preceding the flood at Johnstown, a Herald, 
viewing the situation, sprang on a noble steed and hastened to 
the place ; in order to warn the inhabitants of impending 
danger. 

pLEE to the Hills ! the Herald cried ;— 
Flee for your lives ! — In haste away ! 
The floods sweep down the mountain side ! 
There's danger in the least delay ! 

The gallant steed his errand knew ; 

And to his work he sprang in haste ; 
And down the turnpike road they flew; 

For time forbade a moment's waste. 

Unheeded, was the warning heard ; 

" Some madman he!' they lightly said ; 

23 



24 MISCELLANEOUS POEMS. 

Indifference their flight deterr'd : 
And many numbered with the dead. 

Rider and Horse were swept away ! 

They came to save, but stayed too late 
Mourn for the Herald and the Bay — 

They both deserved a better fate. 

This life has many mysteries : 
Say not, to-morrow will be thine ! 

And what may seem realities 

Are the uncertain things of Time. 



IN MEMORIAM. 

'nr WAS early in the Autumn, and the frost 

Had sHghtly tinged the forest; a few leaves, 

Withered and dry, had fallen to the ground. 

The corn was in the shock, soon to reward 

The patient husbandman, who waiteth long 

For earth's returning bounty : earth who gives 

So generously to those who labor. 

'Twas at this fruitful season, when all things 

Seem'd fair, that we were call'd to bid adieu 

To one, who in life's prime became death's prey. 

Of unobtrusive nature, she was one 

Whose piety rarely disclos'd in v/ords ; 

But, rather showed by a consistent walk, 

25 



26 MISCELLANEOUS POEMS. 

Retiring ever, to domestic life, 
She gave her days ; and yet society 
Had nothing lost, had inclination led 
To a more public sphere. Gone forever ! 
Gone, to enjoy a blest companionship, 
And to realize that glorious rest. 
Which thy pure spirit in its earthly house* 
So often longed for ! In the Father's house, — 
The heavenly home ! On the sea of glass. 
With harp in hand, thy voice is ever tuned 
To magnify the power that redeemed 
Thy spirit from earth's stain, and crowns thee 
now. 



* " For we know," said Paul, " that if our earthly house of 
this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an 
house not made with hands eternal in the heavens." 




THE OLD MILL. 



"p\OWN in yon wood where a streamlet Is 
straying, 
O'er pebbles worn smooth by continual flow : 
There stood an Old Mill with its wheel slow 
revolving, 

In days that are past, and a long time ago. 

27 



28 MISCELLANEOUS POEMS. 

Though scarce now a vestige of all is remaining, 

Save the pillars that held the rude beams of 

the floor ; 

And 'round them the alders are silently growing, 

And soon will the forest leaves cover them 

o'er. 

Yet memory, happily, the picture retraces, 
Reviving impressions time cannot destroy ; 

And, true to its mission, each feature replaces, 
Of scenes that gave pleasure when I was a 
boy. 

A meek-looking man, to the mill-work attended, 
His hair wore the silvery aspect of age, 

In his countenance peace and contentment were 
blended. 
And much his appearance resembled the sage. 



THE OLD MILL. 29 

O, oft when the hunters were homeward re- 
turning, 
In this small busy mill would stop on their 
way; 
Would talk of their feats with an air that was 
thrilling, 
And show all the game they had taken that 
day. 

Here was frequently seen the sweet smile of 
the maiden ; 
Here the boys of the village their Sabbaths 
would keep ; 
And here the poor laborer returning was laden ; 
And the vigilant night-bird here guarded its 
sleep. 



30 MISCELLANEOUS POEMS. 

The mill was surrounded on all sides by wood- 
land, — 
No noise of a household disturbed the lone 
spot; 
There were paths that diverged and led to the 
clear land, — 
Those paths, and the feet that trod in them 
are not. 

'Tis pleasant to visit this spot when world- 
weary ; 
When the duties of life have been cumbered 
with care ; 
And, although it is solitude, nothing seems 
dreary, 
'Mid the undisturbed quiet so prevalent there. 



IN MEMORIAM. 

"And the Spring 
Came forth its work of gladness to contrive ; 
I turned from what she brought, to what she could not bring." 

'T^HE vernal airs have breathed, and the dead 

earth 
Has now a resurrection ; the soft winds 
Are coursing o'er nature's face, and forms 
Of unremembered beauty spring to Hfe. 
How all things mock at woe, the happy bird 
Breathes a melodious lay to his fond mate : 
And seems as careless and withal as free. 
As the breeze that lifts his brilliant plumage. 
My thoughts are of the past, the present has 
For me no charm, — in vain the bird is gay — 

3T 



32 MISCELLANEOUS POEMS. 

In vain the gentle zephyrs kiss my cheek, 
And fan my fevered brow with fond delight — 
Striving to chase all care — to drown remem- 
brance, 
And to oblivion consign the past. 
But memories of sorrow never die — 
They have no sepulchre ! No tomb is rear'd 
O'er their remains ! Time, the destroyer term'd, 
For them erects a monument, which stands, 
'Though all besides has crumbled to decay. 
Fond memory paints a picture, and the form 
Is breathing flesh; yet perfect in proportions; 
The brow is calm and thoughtful, and the eye 
Beams with a rare intelligence, and seems 
So wondrous in its depth; like a deep well 
Whose waters fail not, fed by Hying springs. 



IN MEMORIAM. 33 

Her father's idol ! fairest of the fair; 
And earliest born; and fond admirers 
With offerings came, and bow'd as to shrine; 
But won not her resolve, which she well kept. 

The scene is chang'd, and in the calm cold sleep 

Still beautiful in death; and scarce less fair 

Than when in life; she lay a form of light; 

With alabaster forehead pure and high, 

That shone in contrast with her raven hair. 

Her features finely chiseled; such as they, 

A sculptor would have worship'd; and which 

drew 

Tears from all eyes to think that one so lov'd — 

So gifted above others, should return 

To that of which she seem'd no part — to dust. 
3 



34 MISCELLANEOUS POEMS. 

A full 

Decade of years had passed ; and there was 

laid 
As by the side of her of whom we speak, 
And in the narrow house for all that live, 
One who had cared for her with pious love : 
Her years were full ; and, like a shock of corn. 
Was gathered in the heavenly garner. 
Her walk in life was beautiful ; and hence 
That peace was hers, which is the sure reward 
Of strict obedience to the will of Him, 
Who died that we might live- — not henceforth 

live 
Unto ourselves, but unto Him who died. 
And rose again, and liveth evermore. 
Matron and maid thus sleep ; and in the calm 



IN MEMORIAM. 35 

Of pensive twilight, when all things are hushed, 
The world and cumb'rous care is cast aside, 
And fertile fancy has supreme domain. 
We deem we hold communion with them ; 
And count it privilege ; and come what may, 
May nothing ever win from that regard. 



GATHERED. 

Thou shalt come to thy grave in a full age, hke as a shock of 
corn Cometh in its season. — Job v, 26. 

'T^HE corn was ripe for harvest, and the fields 
Look'd sear from the late frosts, and on 
the trees 
There could be traced the feature of decay — 
Though much concealed by beauty, I was one 
Of a large company, that had convened 
To pay the last sad tribute of respect 
To the remains of her, whose daily walk 
Was a bright lesson. She was a widow 
Worthy of the name, whose life preached ser- 
mons : 

Unassuming, meek, not undiscerning. 
36 



GATHERED. ^,7 

A widow, poor indeed ; but rich in faith : 

Her more than four-score years not idly spent — 

Nor unto pleasure sold : but unto Him 

Who died that she might live, she gave 

The measure of her days ; — the morning 

prime — 
The bright meridian, and silently, 
Though no less sweet, the peaceful eventide. 



A WALK IN THE AUTUMN. 

T LOVE to wander at this sober time 

And gaze on nature. To disturb, perhaps, 
The crouching rabbit from his leafy bed, 
Tho' his fleet footsteps bear him soon from 

sight. 
The wild ducks quit their haunts at the least 

sound 
Of man's approach ; and, to the buckwheat 

glebe, 
The timid partridge, to supply their wants. 
Leads cautiously her young. The squirrel sits 
Upon the chestnut bough, plucking the nuts 

From the late bursted burr for winter use ; 

38 



A WALK IN THE AUTUMN. 39 

But hies away at the approach of man. 
Wherefore this shyness ! Was there never love 
Between creation's lower works, and man 
The highest effort of creative skill ? 
And what has come between them ? Were the 

laws 
Of nature outrag'd at that early time 
When man became a fugitive, and lost 
What was bestow'd in Paradise ? 



NO MONUMENT IS REARED. 

IVrO monument is rear'd o'er their remains — 
No record tells their deeds ; — they lived 
and died : 
They pass'd a brief existence here, and then 
They yielded up their life, which was but lent 
To Him who had been pleas'd to grant it. 
For them the world had charms : " they bought, 

they sold ; 
They planted, and they builded." Some enjoyed 
The good things of this life, and some, indeed, 
Did know of evil things ; all drank . 
Of the mix'd cup, which to their lips was 

press'd ; 

And, not a few did realize the truth, 
40 



NO MONUMENT IS REARED. 4 1 

That trouble was man's portion. They have 

gone 
Unto the spirit land, where earthly things 
No more concern them — where there is no 

change. 
Some gave their hearts to God in early life ; 
And some, we fear too many, lov'd the things 
Of this world only ; — " serving divers lusts :" 
God knows it all : for in his book 'tis writ ; 
And at that final day it will be read 
For, or against ; it will stand forever, 
Saith my soul, might all the living heed it ; 
That when they come to lay life's burden down 
We might have a hope, and that well-grounded, 
Though without confidence in aught of fiesh, 
Of an admittance to a better world. 



THE WIDOW'S MITE. 

'' MORE than they all!" the lips of truth 

declared ; 

When the poor widow to the temple came 

With her two mites — her all of worldly goods, 

And cast them in the treasury. The rich 

Of their abundance gave ; and with a will : 

But she, her living freely did bestow ; 

And the world's wealth, was that at her dispose, 

Would have been given to the cause espoused — 

That cause so dear to her — as cheerfully. 

The structure was adorned with goodly stones ; 

And exquisite the finish. Art had tried. 

And vainly, to excel the former house 

Rear'd in the reign of David's royal son, 
42 



THE WIDOWS MITE. 43 

Beneath its dome of burnished gold, there 

stood 
An uncrowned King, "greater than Solomon;" 
A lowly look was His ; and yet His brow 
Bespoke a being of no common mould. 
" More than they all ; " how strange unto the ear 
Of those then gathered, seemed the Saviour's 

words, 
'Ere they discerned His meaning. He who sees 
Not as man seeth, looketh to the heart, 
And, by the motive, is the action weighed. 
Her name we may not know ; or whence she 

came, 
Or whither she returned, no record tells ; 
Or of her tribe, or of her family : 
And yet, her memory will ever live. 



THE TRIUMPH OF FAITH. 

\A7HEN Israel strove the promise to obtain, 

All night he wrestled, and with labor vain; 
And 'ere the morning came with vestment gray, 
The angel anxious, wished to be away ; 
But prayer prevailed : — the stranger stayed to 

bless, 
And his faith triumphed in his deep distress. 
When he, the father of the faithful call'd ; 
Resolved to do what others had appall'd : 
He led his boy along a lonesome way — 
Too sad to weep, and without heart to pray ; 
And raised his arm to do, but still delayed, 
And, when his will was slain, his son was saved. 

44 



THE TRIUMPH OF FAITH. 45 

A greater faith was His who died for all, 
And thus restored what man lost in the fall ; — 
Paid the great debt which mortals long had 

owed, 
And, in His sufferings, much forbearance 

showed. 
'' Father, forgive them ! " was His plaintive cry : — 
"They know not what they do," His latest sigh. 
He bore our sins on the unconscious tree ; 
But, 'tis forgiveness sets the guilty free. 



TO THE MEMORY OF E. S. 

T^HEY laid him with his kindred ; but his soul 
Returned to God who gave it. He was 
one 
Of a persuasive speech : and was concern'd 
That they who live should not live to them- 
selves ; 
But unto Him who bought them with His 

blood, 
And gave His life a ransom for the world. 
His was a noble work ! To win to Christ 
Was his employ. At duty's simplest call, 
He meekly followed where it seemed to lead. 

No matter what the service. We might say 
46 



TO THE MEMORY OF E. S. 47 

His life lean'd unto virtue's side ; and show'd 
Consistency of purpose. A soldier 
Who never turned his back unto the foe ! 
Yet, never was defiant. In his walk 
Through this world's wilderness, he ever bore 
Allegiance to the Crucified ! " Well done, 
Thou faithful servant ! " May such words as 

these 
Fall on thy ear ; and sweetly, at that day 
When we must give account of all our deeds. 



ONWARD. 

TT was rumor'd unto Pharaoh that the Israel- 
ites had fled, 
And revenge inflam'd the bosom of the spiritu- 
ally dead ; 
For his heart was turn'd against them, still 

obdurate e'en in woe ; 
" He knew not the Lord of Israel, nor would he 
let the people go." 

Not the Zoan field of wonder, not the lightning 
and the hail: 

Not the gloom of the thick darkness that con- 
tinued to prevail ; 

48 



ONWARD. 49 

Not the loud lament of Egypt In the wail for 

her first-born 
Could incite his heart to pity, who had treated 

all with scorn. 

'Twas a day of wild commotion in the ancient 

land of Ham — 
Swiftly wheeled the warrior's chariots — fleet 

the eager footman ran ! 
Pharaoh, with his mighty army hastening to 

divide the spoil ; 
And to wreak his utmost vengeance on the 

feeble sons of toil. 

Never, since the world was peopled, did events 
so mark the hour 

4 



50 MISCELLANEOUS POEMS. 

Or so plainly speak to mortals of a great, 

o'erruling power : — 
Not always to the swift the race, nor the battle 

to the strong ! 
The Lord of Hosts is mightier — to whom all 

praise belong. 

There was in the camp of Israel, one on whom 

all eyes were bent ; 
His appearance evinced meekness ; very 

mark'd each lineament. 
It was he who, when in Midian, as his flock fed 

on the plain, 
Saw that most mysterious burning of an uncon- 

suming flame. 

Favorite of Pharaoh's daughter ! heir pre- 
sumptive to the throne ; 



ONWARD. 5 1 

He had spurn'd the empty honor when to years 

of manhood grown ; 
Taught in all Egyptian learning, he had turn'd 

to truth within. 
Rather suffer with the suffering, than a while 

indulge in sin. 

With suppressed, yet deep emotion, he had 

heard the impious cry ; 
'* Better to have served in Egypt, than have 

journeyed here to die ;•" 
When, to silence the complaining, spake the 

prophet voice of yore : 
" The enemies you see this day, you shall see 

them nevermore." 

And the Lord spake unto Moses : " Wherefore 
criest thou to me ? 



52 MISCELLANEOUS POEMS. 

** Let my people now go forward — stretch thy 

hand out o'er the sea ; " 
And he stretched his hand out o'er it, and the 

sea rolled back its tide ; 
And a pathway lay before them, as the list'ning 

waves divide. 



BEREAVED. 

OEREAVED, and O, this night, while the 

bright stars, 
Like sentinels, keep watch and guard her grave! 
My all of woe, my sense of loneliness 
Steals in my bosom, like a swelling tide. 
Which o'erflows all barrier. My tears 
Water my couch, incessant ; but my heart 
Would not be comforted ; the very tie 
Which binds to earth seems severed, and hence- 
forth 
For me no pleasure and no joy. These plants 
Which her affection watered ; and which grew 

In goodly liking by her constant care ; 

53 



^4 MISCELLANEOUS POEMS. 

Who now, so skill'd, shall teach them how to 

shoot 
In the fair morn of life ; how to receive 
The rays of righteousness which alone 
Can nourish, strengthen and support? Who 

now 
Shall lead them unto Thee, O Lord ; and plead 
Fervently as she for their protection ? 
Thou, Who regards the feeblest of the flock, 
List to the bleating of these lambs, and be 
Their shepherd ! Lead them to living water ; 
And unto pastures ever fresh and new. 



WOMAN. 

A LAY for dear woman, she merits a song ! 
To her all the tribute of praises belong ; 
Deserving all honor ; she came from above ; 
And her visit to earth was a mission of love. 

What could have induced her to stray down 

below ? 
Attractions, perhaps, which we never may know! 
But mark well the hour when woman was won ; 
What were earth without her ? Sky without 

sun ! 

Now go where it lists you ; in what distant land, 
In hovel or palace, by mountain or strand ; 

55 



56 MISCELLANEOUS POEMS. 

And tell of her merit from what you have 

known ; 
'Though loath to confess it, her worth you must 

own. 

If far to the eastward your footsteps should 

stray, 
Speak lightly of woman, for this is their way ; 
Where streams run rejoicing — the breeze freely 

plays. 
For man there she labors ; for scarcely man she 

slaves. 

Go not to the Forum, go not in the street ! 
You'll not hear her voice there, nor here meet 

her feet ; 
Go not to the banquet to seek out the fair, 



WOMAN. 57 

While the slaves of indulgence are revelling 
there. 

But go to the chamber where affliction hath 

lain, 
The friend or the parent in anguish and pain ; 
List, her language of sympathy, soothing and 

dear, — 
A spirit of comfort from some other sphere ! 

Nor less does she seem a partaker of this, 
When 'round the hearth's circle, — the centre of 

bliss, — 
Like rays of soft sunshine, her influence shows, 
And bounty and blessing are at her dispose. 



WOMAN. 

n^HOU, who wast created for a purpose ; 

And to be a comfort to the lonely ; 
Man's earliest and still most precious gift ! i 
We would revere the motive to regain 
What thou didst lose in the primeval time, 
When strong temptation tried thee ; when the 

bait 
(Before thee set by the arch-enemy) 
Seem'd so inviting to thy outward sense. 

58 



CENTENNIAL. 

A CENTURY of years gone by, 

Our fathers said It was consent,* 
And that the only mystery 
That constituted government. 

Long was the problem puzzled o'er, 
By scientist, as well as sage ; 

But its solution fades before 

The clear experience of the age. 

Had Plato lived to see this day, 
He had beheld his pure ideal, — 



* Governments derive their just powers from the consent of 
the governed. — Declaration of Independence. 

59 



6o MISCELLANEOUS POEMS. 

His vague conceptions fade away 
Before the splendor of the real. 

The world does move ; but, ever slow 
Ti'uth's progress shows ; and oft delayed ! 

While follies flourishingly grow, 
Nor fail to cast an Upas shade. 

Would that our land might ever flee 

The vices of the ages past : 
That, while we claim to be the free, 

Might not be the enslav'd at last. 



THE DEATH ANGEL. 

Written during the prevalence of La Grippe. 

T^HE Angel of Death has been viewing the 

land ; 
And his arrows he holds in his skeleton hand ; 
They go on his errands, performing his will, 
And seem so directed with consummate skill. 

A Tyrant indeed, with a countenance grim ; 
No pleasure is given by gazing on him ; 
He heareth no pleading — he heedeth no cry; 
He makes no distinction, and passeth none by. 

In hovel or palace he sitteth as king ! 

None question his right, — a self-evident thing! 

6i 



62 MISCELLANEOUS POEMS. 

His reign is supreme, and his realm will be sure, 
While a vestige of life on the land shall endure. 

He's often a blessing! is ever a friend, 

To such as serve God and endure to the end ; 

For our first parents' sin was this punishment 

given. 
And yet, by this road, we must travel to 

heaven. 

Note. — " Death is a path that must be trod, 
If man would ever pass to God." 



ABRAHAM LINCOLN. 
IVTATURE had cast him in no common mould; 
And yet was of the people ! Had he lived 
In ancient days, he had rank'd with Heroes ! 
Men of renown and prowess ; and, whose deeds 
Have been recorded ; and whose fame is fix'd : 
Like the unchanging stars, which so adorn 
The vaulted. sky. And yet withal, his heart 
Was tender, and in truth, did sympathize 
With suffering, and sorrow. He possessed 
A dual nature ; and, when roused, he show'd 
The Lion ! yet, ever a kindly spirit 
Reign'd in his bosom : ready to forgive, 
And not resent an insult. He has gone, 
And still his memory doth live ; will live 
As long as respect is to virtue paid : 
When shall we look upon his like again ? 

6,3 



BE READY. 

" Be ye therefore ready also ; for the Son of Man cometh at 
an hour when ye think not." 

T3E ready and waiting the " Son of Man's " 

call, 
The injunction is urgent, and binding on all ; — 
The warning is sounded aloud to the ear, 
And the wise, they are they who obey when 
they hear. 

The summons is echoed in palace and cot ; 
For the rich and the poor have but one com- 
mon lot ; 
And alike are the solemn monitions that come 

To the matronly grave, or the beautiful young. 
64 



BE READY. 65 

Ah ! happy are they who in waiting are found, — 
Who have finished their work, and with patience 

abound ; 
And have their affections all centered above, — 
Expecting the bridegroom, — the soul's dearest 

love. 

As quick as the flash that leaps forth from the 

sky; 
Or the twinkling of stars in azure on high ; 
So sudden the soul may be summoned away 
From its temporal home, and its tenement clay. 

Oh, then, let us work while as yet it is light, 

For the day will soon close, and then cometh 

the night, 
5 



66 MISCELLANEOUS POEMS. 

Wherein no labor can be purposed or done ; 
For no knowledge there is or device in the 
tomb. . 

O ! why stand we idle through all our life's day ? 

For they that will labor are worthy of pay ; 

The terms are salvation, — the reward is ex- 
pressed, 

In the Lamb's sweetest whisper, ''enter into thy 
rest:' 

Twelfth month, 1849. 



LINES 

Written at the Close of the Year i860. 

'nriS past ! and with the hour departs the year 

That clos'd at midnight's calm, a brief 

career : 

And, like a bark that braved the storm sublime, 

Lies wreck'd at last, amid the sands of time. 

Fill'd with event, we purpose to portray 

What gave importance to its short-liv'd day : 

We pause to read the record of the past, 

And, from each page instruction gain at last; 

And tho' the future may have less to cheer, 

Yet fondly welcome in the new-born year. 

But who will dare in this degenerate time 

67 



68 MISCELLANEOUS POEMS. 

To pen a page of really honest rhyme ? 

Who will for honor still presume to plead, 

When banks suspend and federate States secede; 

When patriots sell their country for a toy, 

And rulers fear coercion to employ. 

Ah! well we know, with such as read these 
lays, 

That we have fallen on disastrous days ! 

The times are not which our forefathers knew. 

When men were loyal and when States were 
true, 

When none suppos'd they were not honor- 
bound : 

But, felt a stain as they would feel a wound. 
Indignities inflame the public mind ! 

Injustice rules, with violence combined : 



LINES. 69 

Men now are scourg'd should they complani of 

wrong ; 
And they, the weak, are preyed on by the strong. 

A time there was when citizens of Rome 
Exiled or wandering from their native home ; 
Did they announce the place from whence they 

came 
Found just protection in that honored name ! 
But this more favor'd land and still more free, 
Gives to her children no such guarantee ; 
Freedom yet burns, but 'tis a smould'ring fire. 
And in her home her spirit would expire. 

From scenes of strife we turn to those of peace, 
Whose glorious reign we hop'd might never 

cease ; 
And o'er the Western wave we cast our eye 



70 MISCELLANEOUS POEMS. 

On a bright land beneath a softer sky : 
Where, by the murmurs of a calmer sea, 
Dwells the Ingenious, jealous, Japanee. 

For ages commerce, lur'd by greed for gain, 
Sought the rich isles that gem the distant main ; 
Exhausted means and call'd in every aid, 
With vain endeavor to engage in trade. 

But her fond wish with her desire is o'er : 
Restraint has fled, suspicion is no more ! 
The shy Mongolian seeks a foreign land, 
Bestows his presents with a liberal hand : — 
The showy Embassy attracts all eyes ; 
And deat'ning plaudits from dense crowds arise. 

But late, a prince and heir to Britain's throne, 
Through our fair land was wisely sent to roam. 
With manners suited to the festive hall — 



LINES. 71 

The brilliant company ! — the splendid ball ! 
Where fashion's votaries lead the mazy round ; 
Where peace- is never, pleasure seldom found ! 
His noble birth assured attention there ; 
In truth, he seem'd a favorite with the fair. 
Our country ! unto thee again we turn : 
But grow more anxious from the things we 

learn ; 
Though potent foes thy welfare may assail, 
Truth still is mighty and it must prevail ! 
Will triumph yet o'er anarchy and wrong, 
And its authority grow doubly strong. 



PAUL AT ATHENS. 
U" IS soul was stirr'd within him when he saw 

The many altars, and the worshippers 
In their blind idolatrous devotion, 
Kneeling before them. In the market-place 
And in the grave assembly, he discoursed 
Of Him the only true and living God : 
Who made the world and all that is therein : 
Who alone was worthy to be worshipped ! 
Dwelling not in temples made with hands, 
Nor to be compared to any image. 
There stood the Parthenon: the quarried wealth 
Of fam'd Pentelicus ; and much adorned ! 
And she the Goddess* exquisitely wrought ! 



^' Minerva. 
72 



PAUL AT ATHENS. "J 2) 

Which so displayed the skill of Phidias. 
The Greek ador'd the cultured ; and he saw 
No beauty in the truth as preach'd by Paul : 
His ear enjoyed the novel, and tho' heard, 
Inclined not to the teaching of the man, 
By some esteem'd a "babbler"; and but few 
Were the converted to a higher life. 
Error is ever blind, and slow to hear 
The voice of truth : which tho' it can't refute, 
Seeks to repel by rudeness. Some mocked, 
And some, by persuasion mov'd, willing were 
To hear (perhaps denied) Paul speak again. 
But, where is that mythology which show'd, 
So grand in its conception, and which held 
Such sway o'er mind ? gone where error goeth ! 
Deserted now is Delphi's sacred shrine : — 



74 MISCELLANEOUS POEMS. 

The Gods have all forsaken Thessaly : — 
The " Unknown " God of Athens He alone 
Remains unchanged ; and unto Him be praise 
Offered continually from all hearts. 



WINTER SKETCHES. 
''X'lS now the tide when boreal blasts arise, 

And polar spirits sweep the sullen skies ; 
The wither'd glebe grows desolate and bare, 
And chilling winds go coursing constant there ; 
While barren branches bend to every breeze, 
Whose wailing voice sighs through the leafless 

trees ; 
And solemn dirges, chanted low but clear, 
Breathe 'round the buried beauty of the year. 

The maid no longer roams a sweet parterre ; 
Gone are the summer flowers which bloom'd so 

fair ; 
The beauteous rose which heard the voice of 

love, 

75 



76 MISCELLANEOUS POEMS. 

Fell, but its fragrance was exhal'd above ; 
And oft at twilight's calm yet pensive hour 
Will mutely muse o'er her deserted bower : 
And, as remembrance would the past recall, 
Sighs over scenes, which had a charm for all. 

The winter bird its wonted food to gain, 
Comes daily, pecking at the parlor pane ; 
A faithful friend its pressing want supplies. 
Then plumes its wings and to the covert flies. 

But, 'mid the gen'ral gloom which shrouds 
the scene. 
Is there no charm the picture to redeem ? 
No verdant spot the desert wild to cheer ; 
Where sweet content can all of care endear. 

Observe the household, they have taken tea ; 
The son is seated on his father's knee ; 



WINTER SKETCHES. "^^ 

The sire, intent with the important news, 
Reads the fresh page, but prefaces his views ; 
While his fond spouse, whose bosom thrills with 

joy, 

Lends all her ear, but looks upon her boy. 

The watch-dog sleeps unconscious of the 
blasts ; 
The child is cradled, all its care is past ! 
Around the room where works of art suspend, 
Familiar show the features of each friend ; 
Whose every look remembrances recall, 
And still the absent grace the parlor wall ; 
Where fond affection lovingly presides, 
Whose reign is bliss, whose realm no pow'r 
divides. 

Picture of peace ! O, might no other be ! 



78 MISCELLANEOUS POEMS. 

Go where you may, what wretchedness we see ! 
Silent and sad, the mother sits alone. 
Her absent lord knows not the charms of home : 
" Why don't he come ? " the burden of her sigh ; 
"Why don't he come?" the wailing winds 

reply ; 
The snow falls fast, her hands unlatch the door ; 
She thinks she hears his feet, oft heard before ! 
But yet he comes not — sorrowful delay ! 
She turns to weep, and then returns to pray : 
And, bending o'er her babe — her angel guest, 
Sighs for some better world, where both might 

rest. 



NIAGARA. 
HTHERE may be spots made brighter by the 

sun, 
Lovelier by beauty, and more glad by mirth ; 
And holier hours perhaps have leave to run 
In some blest place — the silentest of Earth ! 
But of this ? and what is all their worth 
Compar'd to thee — thou monument of time ! 
Where the remember'd ages trace the birth. 
And unremember'd here, with sculptured line, 
Bespeak thy early age, by chronicle sublime. 

Grandeur's enthron'd supremely on thy brow, 
The rainbow circles o'er thy sunlit height; 
Terror is mirror'd in thy depth — yet thou 
Sublimely fearless in superior might, 

79 



8o MISCELLANEOUS POEMS. 

As leapeth gladly forth thy waters bright, 
'Mid angry surges and perpetual foam ; 
Where hour by hour we gaze with new delight, 
As flows thy flood majestically on, 
Whose roar as oceans roar when troubled with 
a storm. 

Thy voice hath hushed to sleep the eagle's 

young ; 
Thy voice the startled deer hath heard afar ; 
Thy voice, methinks, unearthly hymns have 

sung 
Unto the Pleiades, and every star 
Rolling in Northern Hemisphere its car. 
We know thou breathest on earth thy strains 

divine, 
And, sweet to mortal ear such murmurs are ; 



NIAGARA. 8 1 

Still, eager pilgrims journey to thy shrine — 

Another Mecca thou, or holier, Palestine. 

From the remotest bounds of Earth they come, 

Worn with the distance they have travel'd o'er; 

And, when the pilgrimage at length is done, 

They feel a joy which was unfelt before ; 

And, linger long, to silently adore 

The hand Divine that pour'd thy matchless flood, 

And taught thy voice to echo back the roar 

Of the vast sea, in language understood — 

Deep calling unto deep, proclaim their Maker 

good. 

When first the savage, trembling, gaz'd on thee. 

Whose slow approach bore evidence of fear ; 

Awe and devotion strove for mastery ; 

Yet, neither in their turn produc'd a tear 
6 



82 MISCELLANEOUS POEMS. 

From tearless eyes — a stoic even here ! 
And, with a yell of joy which wildly rang 
Amid thy thunder hymn, distinct and clear, 
In unharmonious strains the bard began ; 
Whose unrecorded lay of the Great Spirit sang. 

Thou art of Earth, yet seem'st unearthly fair, 
'Mid the deep, channel'd rocks which wall thy 

home ; 
And viewless spirits doubtless linger there. 
To list the melodies of thy deep tone — 
As breathes the harp of ages in that moan. 
Majestic emblem, thou of endless power, 
Which fram'd all things invisible or known, 
Which will alone survive thee and the hour, 
When worlds shall be dissolved . . . 



THE YOUNG CHRISTIAN. 

CHE, tho' her years scarce number'd a decade, 

' Was in experience old ; and truly wise 
Above earth's wisdom. In the school of Christ 
She had instruction ; and therein had learn'd 
To overcome all self, which is indeed 
High knowledge ; seldom taught, but of much 

worth. 
To other minds, in condescending love, 
She sacrificed superior judgment ; 
And, unto those she better far might teach 
Would patient listen. She has gone from earth ; 
Her daily ministrations closed to those 

With whom she had companionship. No more 

83 



84 MISCELLANEOUS POEMS. 

Her voice instructively shall speak ; no more 
Her bright example ! In another world 
She breathes a purer ether, and her lips 
Now sing hosannas unto Him who holds 
The key of Heaven's gate; who has declar'd 
Except ye be converted, and become 
Like children — teachable, obedient — 
Ye shall in no wise therein enter. 



THE BARD'S BURIAL. 

"nrWAS early in the autumn, when a bard 

Was laid at rest beneath New England's 

soil — 

The land of which he sang and lov'd so well. 

Time had dealt kindly with him ; for his years 

Outnumber'd four-score. He had many friends 

And fond admirers ; although he sought not 

The applause of man ; but dwelt retired ; 

And from society kept much aloof; 

And yet his sympathies went out to all. 

Under the weight of a most cruel wrong, 

He raised his voice for freedom; and when truth 

Seemed crush'd to earth, and the slave, 

Oppress'd with manacles, performed his task. 

85 



S6 MISCELLANEOUS POEMS. 

He lived to see his fond desire fulfill'd, 
And slavery extinguished. He was one 
Who favored milder measures ; well he knew 
That truth was powerful and would prevail. 
A master of the lyre ; and yet so plain 
And simple in his manners, and so void 
Of all pretense, that few would be appris'd 
By casual intercourse, that in him 
There dwelt a power which could raise the mind 
Above the grovelling things of time and sense, 
To a conception of the beautiful. 



LINES ON THE DEATH OF MARY 
SCULL. 

(My first poem.) 

T^RULY, 'tis no wish of mine, 

To lift the plastic hand of time — 
To ope the wounds that partly close, 
And give to hearts again their woes. 

No lovelier flower than thee might bloom, 
Or spread around such sweet perfume ; 
No bird upon the bough could bring 
A more entrancing offering. 

Yet, Mary, thou wast naught to me, 

Nor was I anything to thee ; 

But, when I saw thee, was Impressed, 

And so admired with the rest. 

87 



SS MISCELLANEOUS POEMS. 

Heaven delights to pluck the flower, 
And leaves the weeds, the culling hour ; 
Why wonder, then, when this is so. 
That earth a wilderness should grow ? 



REMARKS ON THE LANDING OF 
PENN. 

The following remarks on the Bi-Centennial Anniversary of 
the Landing of Penn, appeared in a Public print at the time of 
the occurrence. They are now reprinted in a more permanent 
form. — The Author, 

TT is proper that a considerate people should 
cherish the memories of those who have 
been their benefactors, and also that they de- 
vise means, and make some personal sacrifice 
in order to perpetuate their deeds. The event 
which we celebrate was an experiment, the 
result of which was then unforeseen, but which 
time has clearly established. We now behold 
what its illustrious founder, or the most fertile 

fancy, could scarcely have imagined — a city 

89 



90 REMARKS ON THE 

Stretching far beyond its natural boundaries, as 
compact and more populous than the metropo- 
lis of civilization at that day, and deservedly 
celebrated for its medical and charitable insti- 
tutions. Its early rapid growth was mainly 
owing to the liberal inducements held out by 
its founder, affording, as it did, a home for all, 
and especially to those who were persecuted 
on account of religious belief. The intolerance 
that existed in the mother country at this pe- 
riod had become so oppressive that men of 
enlightened minds everywhere hailed with joy 
what promised a deliverance from its thraldom, 
and thousands who had suffered therefrom had 
turned their minds towards the New World. 
It has been said ** oppression planted America." 



LANDING OF PENN. 9 1 

Fortunately on this soil it produced other 
seeds than those of its kind, and scattered them 
far and wide on the highways of improvement. 
Nor did the oppressed in turn, as some other set- 
tlers, become oppressors, when the power to do 
so was placed in their hands ; but accorded the 
fullest liberty of conscience to all who differed 
from them in religious belief; hence the settle- 
ment of Penn was not promoted by the Quaker 
element alone, but such as did not join them in 
religious profession, and those who made no 
profession at all found an asylum here. His- 
tory seldom records a colony established upon 
such liberal principles. Penn had himself suf- 
fered so much from the trammels of tyranny, 
and the bigotry of prelates, that he seemed 



92 REMARKS ON THE 

determined that one community at least should 
be preserved from all such influences. No 
wonder the settlement prospered : it could 
scarcely have done otherwise. In a few years 
it contained thousands of inhabitants ; while 
many other colonists, who sought to establish 
themselves upon American soil, were swept 
away by the native savages who had suffered 
much from the hands of the white man. Like 
begets like ; the power of persuasion is supe- 
rior to brute force ; the law of kindness and 
conciliation triumphs when other measures 
fail. Evil is overcome with good. The Quaker 
taught a pure Democracy ; and while he be- 
lieved in the sovereignty of the people, he no- 
where admitted that the voice of the people 



LANDING OF PENN. 93 

was the voice of God. He contended that no 
authority could rightfully exist to coerce the 
conscience, as that was a matter beyond human 
control, and rested solely between man and his 
Maker. In preparing a constitution for the 
colony, Penn was much assisted by that coura- 
geous defender of right, Algernon Sidney, 
whose liberal views cost him his life. It is very 
remarkable that a descendant of such aristo- 
cratic ancestry should have possessed Republi- 
can proclivities, and still most astonishing, that 
his bosom friend should have been a self-deny- 
ing Quaker. In the preparation of the in- 
strument, it is difficult to assign to each their 
particular part, but there is no doubt they both 
endeavored to make it as liberal as possible to 



94 REMARKS ON THE 

be of any value at all. Sidney's views of gov- 
ernment were much in advance of his time, and 
Penn's were embodied in that declaration of 
truth : '' Love thy neighbor as thyself." In his 
intercourse with the aborigines, he seemed to 
have been imbued with the law of love and 
kindness, not allowing himself, nor permitting 
others, to take any advantage of them, but on 
all occasions treating them as equals. We are 
told by Clarkson it was stipulated no man 
should, by any ways or means, in word or deed, 
affront or wrong any Indian, but he should 
incur the same penalty of the law as if he had 
committed it against his fellow planter, and 
that all differences between planters and Indi- 
ans should be ended by twelve men — that is, 



LANDING OF PENN. 95 

by six planters and six Indians — so they might 
live friendly together, and as much as in them 
lay, prevent all occasions for heart burning and 
mischief. 

What a subject for a painter, worthy of the 
genius of West ! Beneath the Shackamaxon 
elm stand a few sedate-looking but resolute 
adventurers. The central figure of that com- 
pany is a man of far more pretentious appear- 
ance — the companion of kings and noblemen 
— a man of culture and parts — one who would 
be likely to command respect in any place. 
He has purchased the land whereon he treads 
from the British crown, who claimed it by the 
right of discovery ; he disdains to occupy it 



96 REMARKS ON THE 

without consulting those who held it by a 
higher right — the right of inheritance. Groups 
of red men, gaily adorned, are gazing intently 
upon the scene which seems so strangely in 
contrast with the surroundings, who are willing 
to barter their land for what appears to them a 
sufficient consideration ; and thus, he not only 
secures what he desires, their territory, but 
what at that time was of equal importance to 
him — their friendship. 

Two centuries have rolled away since Wil- 
liam Penn set foot on this soil, and could he 
now return to visit the land he loved, he would 
be surprised to find so few professing his faith 
— a mere handful I may say, compared with the 



LANDING OF PENN. 97 

vast population of the city he founded, — nor 
could he fail to be impressed with the liveliest 
sorrow, in witnessing, on the part of some of 
these, a disregard of the principles and prac- 
tices of his sect, in the support of w^hich he, in 
common with others, suffered so much both in 
person and estate. ''And thou, Philadelphia, 
the virgin settlement of the province, named 
before thou wast born, what love, what care, 
what service, and what travail has there been 
to bring thee forth and preserve thee from such 
as would abase and defile thee ! My soul prays 
to God for thee, that thou mayest stand in the 
day of trial, that thy children may be blessed of 
the Lord, and thy people saved by His power." 

Such was the prayer of its founder. Would 

7 



98 REMARKS ON THE 

that it had preserved from all wickedness and 
folly, from all that strikes at its best life or 
highest welfare. The landing of the Pilgrim 
Fathers on the "storm-washed" rock of Ply- 
mouth has been a theme for the orator and 
poet; yet we presume the arrival of the ship 
" Welcome," with its friendly emigrants, in the 
calmer waters of the Delaware, is entitled to at 
least a respectful consideration. We may re- 
member that during the six weeks' voyage 
across the Atlantic a fearful malady carried off 
nearly a third of their number, and it is a won- 
der they did not all die ; nothing but a miracle 
could have preserved them. The vessel 
reached its destination, with its afflicted and 
much reduced company, who, no doubt, could 



LANDING OF PENN. 99 

exclaim with one of former time, though under 
different circumstances, " hitherto hath the 
Lord helped."' 

A bark is battling with the waves 

Upon a dark and stormy sea ; 
Sleep, mariner; the power that saves 

Is not thy strength nor yet of thee. 

Our fathers were a noble band ; 
And settling in this goodly land, 
Design'd to make it ever free 
From every form of tyranny. 

They labored long, tho' not in vain ; 
They sowed the seed, we reap the grain ; 
We reap, and reverently bless 
Their every form of faithfulness. 

Patient, peculiar, self-sacrificing people ; your 
perils, your privations, your efforts to establish 



lOO REMARKS ON THE 

religious toleration have not been in vain. The 
seed by you sown has produced its legitimate 
fruit — has taken root in almost every soil. 
The down-trodden of other lands have been 
animated by your example — by your heroism 
and your hopes ; nobler men, more deserving 
posthumous honor perhaps never lived, and 
while they sought no praise from man, their 
deeds will be remembered as long as respect is 
paid to virtue. Pericles said, substantially, in 
his oration over the slain at Marathon, " the 
whole earth is a monument to illustrious men." 
How significant is this sentiment when applied 
to a greater hero who conquered by love, who 
disarmed by kindness. The commonwealth 
which he created, the government which he 



LANDING OF PENN. lOI 

instituted, the city which he founded, are all of 
them monuments to his wisdom and benefi- 
cence, and will keep his memory fragrant for 
centuries to come. 

" Nam vitiis nemo sine nascitur,'' says Horace. 
That William Penn had some imperfections of 
character it is but rational to conclude ; but 
what he did as a legislator in this land, what he 
did for religious liberty in the land of his birth, 
what he did for humanity, an appreciative peo- 
ple will not willingly consign to oblivion. 

JOHN E. REDMAN. 

Tenth Month 21st, 1882. 



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